(Muchos gracias to Graeme again. )Now I'm back in town, let's see how we go tonight.
Enjoy.
Countdown recap for Thursday 9 August 2012.
C1: Champion Grant Waters (2 wins, 182 points.) An Apteforumite from Maidstone, Kent.
C2: Challenger Joyce Benfield. From Northend, Warwickshire. She is 81 years old, so perhaps unsurprisingly, she is retired. Interestingly, she applied to be on this show 11 years ago, but only sent the application form off recently.
For 35 years, she worked as a bellringer at her local church. Her most memorable holiday was touring the Irish coastline.DC: Susie Dent and Mark Foster.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: D W T A I E V U N
R02: L R C T A E O E P
R03: T R N A E I B S A
R04: D N V T U O A E H
R05: 100, 2, 1, 1, 10, 2. Target: 236.
TTT: NEEDATIE - "You don't need a tie to get in, because you're not getting out!"
R06: C F R T O U E G O
R07: R T Q E A E N I S
R08: R F G T E I O U S
R09: M N D I A E R O S
R10: 100, 10, 4, 9, 8, 7. Target: 685.
TTT: PAMSHUNG - "Pam's hung out some baskets containing this"
R11: R G S U E A H I R
R12: Z M T N O A O E W
R13: L D D I O I Y A S
R14: 50, 4, 8, 9, 6, 1. Target: 661.
R15: S K A D A N C E R (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: D W T A I E V U N
C1: DEVIANT (7)
C2: WAITED (6)
DC: VAUNTED (7)
Score: 7–0 (max 7)
A good start by our champion as DC find the only other 7.
Round 2: L R C T A E O E P
C1: TREACLE (7)
C2: LOCATE (6)
DC: PECTORAL (8) PERCOLATE (18)
Score: 14–0 (max 25)
Grant's not getting stuck in the TREACLE here, and neither are DC as they have a very nice 9.
Round 3: T R N A E I B S A
C1: BAITERS (7)
C2: BANTERS (7)
DC: BANISTER (8) ABSTAINER (18)
Score: 21–7 (max 43)
Is it 9 o'clock or something
Well, whatever it is, DC get back-to-back 9's early on, which we're more than happy for. Round 4: D N V T U O A E H
C1: VAUNTED (7)
C2: HAUNTED (7)
DC: HANDOUT (7)
OT: NOVATED (7)
Score: 28–14 (max 50)
VAUNTED makes a quick reappearance in this game.Round 5: 100, 2, 1, 1, 10, 2. Target: 236.
C1: 236. ((2 x 10) - 1 - 1 + 100) x 2 (10)
C2: 240.
Score: 38–14 (max 60)
1, 2, 1, 2. Sounds like I'm in the army all of a sudden.
Top marks to Grant though for spotting the solution.Mark talks about Dancing On Wheels, which was a very good show involving celebrities dancing with wheelchair-bound people, and talks about the winner of the show, James O'Shea, and how he taught him how to swim and is now in Team GB's Paralympic team for the upcoming Paralympic Games in London.
Teatime teaser: NEEDATIE -> DETAINEE
Round 6: C F R T O U E G O
C1: FORCE (5)
C2: roofer
DC: FOREGUT (7)
OT: ECOTOUR (7)
Score: 43–14 (max 67)
Oh dear, Joyce suddenly realises that there's only 1 R in the selection, so she stays on 14 for now. I'm not sure I'll ever FORGET FOREGUT again.
Round 7: R T Q E A E N I S
C1: NEAREST (7)
C2: seater
DC: TRAINEES (8) RESINATE (8)
Score: 50–14 (max 75)
Grant is the NEAREST to perfection in this round, especially as Joyce's word is only a combo word, but it's DC on top form again with both available 8's.
Round 8: R F G T E I O U S
C1: FORGETS (7)
C2: GROUTS (6)
DC: FORTIES (7) GUSTIER (7)
RR: FOREGUTS (8)
Score: 57–14 (max 83)
Clearly it's not just elephants that never FORGET, as Rachel remembers FOREGUT, so she can pluralise it for the darren in this one. 
Round 9: M N D I A E R O S
C1: RANDOMISE (18)
C2: SANDIER (7)
DC: ROMANISED (18)
Score: 75–14 (max 101)
WOAH!!! WOAH!!! WOAH!!! THREE 9's IN ONE SHOW!!!!!!!!!!! CRIKEY
But, well done to Grant for spotting one of the 2 here, as the max count goes above a ton after only 9 rounds. Susie's Origins Of Words talks about the origins of the "misused English" terms, "irony", "fortuitous" and "via".
Round 10: 100, 10, 4, 9, 8, 7. Target: 685.
C1: 685. (7 x 100) - (10 - 4 + 9) (10)
C2: 685. (7 x 100) - (10 + 4 + 9 - 8) (10)
Score: 85–24 (max 111)
A nice round of applause for Joyce, as she scores for the first time in 6 rounds.
Teatime teaser: PAMSHUNG -> SPHAGNUM
Round 11: R G S U E A H I R
C1: sugarier
C2: HURRIES (7)
DC: GUSHIER (7) HARRIES (7) GHARRIES (8)
Score: 85–31 (max 119)
A nice idea from Grant, but only SUGARY is in the dictionary, and sugarier is a bit of a mouthful, as Susie says.
Round 12: Z M T N O A O E W
C1: ATONE (5)
C2: MEANT (5)
DC: OMENTA (6)
Score: 90–36 (max 125)
The formalities are done with now, as Grant goes clear and secures his hat-trick, with 3 rounds to go.
Round 13: L D D I O I Y A S
C1: ODDLY (5)
C2: DAILY (5)
DC: SADLY (5) DILDOS (6)
OT: SOLIDI (6)
Score: 95–41 (max 131)
A nice little funny bit in the studio when Mark mentions DILDOS.
Round 14: 50, 4, 8, 9, 6, 1. Target: 661.
C1: 661. ((50 + 1) x (4 + 9)) - (8 - 6) (10)
C2: -
Score: 105–41 (max 141)
A very accomplished solve there from Grant, which gives him century and the chance to break the top score of the series too.
Round 15: S K A D A N C E R
No one buzzes. The answer was RANSACKED.
Final Score: 105–41 (max 151)
But, he can't and neither can Joyce, so it's left to a woman in the audience to solve it.
So, a 151 max is quite an impressive feat, but I'm sure Grant is also happy with his 105, which has given him a firm foothold in the leaderboard at the moment, as we head into the summer break, which is just a week away.
So, hopefully, he can become an octochamp in a week's time, so we can all rest easy over the summer.
I'll be back next week with 2 recaps (hopefully), so until then, enjoy the rest of the week, and bye bye.
Statistics Corner
Grant:
Total score - 105
Raw score - 105
Total % of max - 70
Raw % of max - 70
Total average score per round - 7.0
Raw average score per round - 7.0
Number of maxes - 6
Joyce:
Total score - 41
Raw score - 76
Total % of max - 27
Raw % of max - 50
Total average score per round - 2.7
Raw average score per round - 5.1
Number of maxes - 2
Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=67